What Is Lily Bart's Character

She is expressed as dealing with “teenage problems” if I do say so myself a lot of issues that most teenagers have: identity, popularity, self-consciousness, and parental issues. The 14-year-old throughout her story feels a deep sense of longing for her mother as she did not know her, because she died when Lily was only 4 years old. In Chapter 1, Lily talks about how she misses her mother, and how she feels completely responsible for the fact that she doesn't have her. This quote, "This is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away," is significant to the whole plot, because it helps us understand one of Lily's main concerns and desires. I myself have lost a parent at a very young age, and struggled to comprehend what happened, and how it would effect me through the course of my life. Lily Owens notices that she does not fit and is held back from that fact that her father does not care about Lily's life nor her needs. In Chapter 1, Lily indicates that she is “..worried so much about how I [she] looked and whether I [she] was doing things right, I [she] felt half the time I [she] was impersonating a girl instead of really being

Lily has spent most of her life stuck on a peach farm with her father trying to muddle through, never getting a chance to go out into the world, but now after being at the pink house, she has been able to mature and grow. Lily's father doesn't like being emotional, and Lily had to learn how to shut off her emotions so she wouldn't make T. Ray mad. She was never able to express her true emotions, making it hard for her to mature. She was also never able to go and explore the world and figure it out for herself. Lily didn't have anyone to help her through this time other than Rosaleen and she work for T. Ray so she couldn't do anything to really help her.

In Jeannette Walls’ novel Half Broke Horses, Lily Casey was always willing to sacrifice everything to defend her principles and the rights of others. Even from childhood, Lily’s parents assisted in developing her strong morals, her family having a huge influence on her moral convictions. They directed her in the right direction, teaching her about wrong and right. Lily had to realize from a young age that people in the world can be very cruel. The children in the town used to follow her father around and make fun of him because of his disabilities and although he never showed that it bothered him, Lily could tell it was hurting him.

“Emma could not resist. Ah! Ma’am but there may be a difficulty. Pardon me- but you will be limited as to number- only three at once”; Emma insults Miss Bates, who is a dear friend, in order to quench her desire for social credit. When Mr Martin’s proposal arrives for Harriet, Emma shakes her head with disdain. Emma has the highest social status, apart from Knightley, and uses this to diminish those of lower class. Chapone asks us to “Observe her manner to servants and inferiors” and whether she treats “them always with affability”, but we know, Emma does not. Emma thinks Mr Martin is a “very inferior creature” and when Harriet asks for advice Emma says “the letter had much better be all your own” but sneaks in “You need not to be prompted to write the appearance of sorrow for his disappointment”. Harriet refuses Martin, and Emma proclaims that Harriet, if she accepted, would have been “confined to the society of the illiterate and vulgar” and “could not have visited Mrs. Robert Martin” since she deems the lower class as unsophisticated primitives. Emma would have lost her latest amusement and her chance to prove her intelligence. Emma’s subtle manipulations illustrates the absence of inner morality, and is thus, an ill-qualified mentor.

First, a distinction must be made between direct and indirect transaction. Lily can happily live in a world where wealth circulates obliquely and freely. When Lily stays as a guest at Bellomont eating fine food at her hosts expense, she is not receiving payment for goods or services. Instead, her charm has earned her the benefits of friendship with the rich. Lily is not exactly being paid to be charming; instead, being charming attracts the generous hospitality and entertainment of wealthy friends. The distinction between this type of benefit and direct compensation is enormous. When the reader encounters Lily in Chapter Ten of Book Two, Lily has fled from the world of Norma Hatch to the milliners shop--and it was an offer of direct reward that made it necessary for Lily to escape. Wharton writes, "The sense of being involved in a transaction she would not have cared to examine too closely had soon afterward defined itself in the light of a hint from Mr. Stancy that if she saw them through, she would have no reason to be sorry" (293-3). Lily has no qualms about living as a guest of her rich friends, but the idea of selling her charm and becoming a sort of social mercenary holds no appeal for her: "The implication that such loyalty would meet with a direct

Mullen describes Lily’s situation as “Lily Bart has been predominantly framed as a tragic victim caught within the irresistible market forces of capitalism and the fatal contradictions of gender and class politics” (45). The novel, “The House of Mirth” filled with nuances of gender and class politics. Mullen points out a weakness in Lily’s character, her position in the forces of the capitalist circle. The females in the novel face the pressures from the social circle as well. Lily is a product of her culture and upbringing. Success is measured by the capital worth and how one would survive in their social class. Unfortunately, Lily didn’t have to chance to remain in her former social class circle, after trying to pay off her debts. She died the night that she received her

Selden, who is not rich, but is self-sufficient and comfortable. Lily's incredible outer beauty cannot mask the internal suffering which she endures. This is Wharton's way of revealing the emptiness and greed behind the glittering exterior of elite society. The Dorsets, despite their fabulous wealth, are the most unhappy characters in the novel. Bertha is a cruel and bitter antagonist, and her husband is a lonely, pathetic old man. Edith Wharton spent her entire life rubbing elbows with the upper-crust, yet still believed that money cannot buy happiness. The House of Mirth may be categorized as a "novel of manners," a literary genre which explores the struggle of the individual in society, and most commonly, the way in which that struggle effects women and

When reading House of Mirth, Lily Bart seems to be a victim of circumstance, and readers watch her life seem to crumble around her. From the beginning, Lily was depicted as an overwhelmingly gorgeous woman; however, she has an overwhelmingly massive downfall: her dependence on wealth and social status. As outsiders, readers understand that money comes and goes, and social status is far from the most important things in life; however, Lily would disagree. Being born into high-society, Lily quickly developed a fondness for the extravagant things in life while fearing, and almost hating, dinginess (Wharton, 30-35). However, as the story progresses, she loses all the little money she has to fuel her gambling addiction, as if metaphorically

Visualize being at a lovely dinner in New York City during the early 20th century and scrutinizing some of the most affluent people the city has to offer. Edith Wharton was able to witness all of the arrogance in New York during this time and put those observations into her novel, The House of Mirth. Edith Wharton was born on January 24th, 1862 into a prosperous New York family. She lived in an expensive area of New York and was primarily educated by governesses and personal tutors (Olin 72). Her family inspired the phrase “Keeping up with the Joneses” (Lee 22). Edith’s personal experiences have definitely had a huge impact on her writing. Her high social status, the Gilded Age in America, and her love for nature influenced Edith Wharton

Indeed, Lily finds herself distinctly above Gerty in the social ladder. As she mulls about her “hateful fate,” she distinguishes herself from Gerty, posing the question “What choice had she? To be herself, or a Gerty Farish” (Wharton 19). Within this clear social food chain, Lawrence Selden, almost exclusively, has the ability to traverse the tiers on his own accord as he “had preserved a certain social detachment, a happy air of viewing the show objectively, of having points of contact outside the great gilt cage” (Wharton 41). He is unique in his abilities to maintain his position in the chain and elevate himself when he so chooses, which Lily often envies. However, Lily also wishes to ascend permanently on the social hierarchy because “her whole being dilated in an atmosphere of luxury; it was the background she required, the only climate she could breathe in” (Wharton 19). Truly, as shown later in the novel, once Lily falls from her natural system, she fails to adapt and survive. Lily’s society, of which she is a product, acts as a harsh environment that Lily must navigate, as a character does in a naturalistic novel.

Lily Briscoe is a character that can be viewed as unique. Unique in the sense that she was living in an era when women were expected to take on the domestic role and fulfill the role as a traditional woman. Lily did not live up to those expectations. She struggled to stay true to herself and found it a difficult task to conform to society’s conventions as it relates to gender roles and expectations. The novel “To The Lighthouse” takes place in the 19th century during that time often referred to as the Victorian era. During the Victorian era, the expectation was that individuals should follow strict gender roles and people who did not follow those roles were frowned upon. Women were expected to take care of their husband and children, take care of the home and make themselves available to fulfill their family’s needs. Men on the other hand were expected to provide for the family, work outside of the home and do “manly” things. They were considered to be the breadwinner for their family. As one reads throughout the novel, you are able clearly identify Lily’s struggles with society’s expectations of her as a woman and the difficult task of staying true to oneself as she visits and shares with the Ramsay family.

First, in the novel money is the most important thing and social standing depends just on how much wealth one has. Therefore, it makes sense that Lily’s whole demeanor and emotional state is almost completely dependent on money. Lily has acquired lots of debt from gambling and when in this state she feels as if she owes something to the people who have lent her money. She absolutely hates that feeling, as she wants to solely be independent and have a man give her wealth. “She was realizing for the first time that ... the maintenance of a moral attribute should be dependent on dollars and cents”, this quote was describing

Wharton takes the much-admired upper crust of society and exposes them, not in a hurtful world, but an objectively world. Wharton writes: "I've come to the conclusion that I don't in the least know what they are," said Mrs. Ansley. "And perhaps we didn't know much more about each other."(780) This one passage serves as a direct commentary on both the bonds of friendship and family life. Wharton's language is objective, straightforward. The character speaks these alarming

Unlike the kids at her school, Lily doesn't have fashionable clothes nor does she have a proper family. It's hard for her to make friends with the people around her age, because her father rarely permit her to appear in public places. As a result, the people at her school stay away from her, because her lifestyle doesn't fit what is considered as a 'normal'

Edith Wharton develops Lady Bart as a character who is a product of her environment, preyed upon by circumstance and fate. Lily's name, referring to a highly ornamental flower, immediately creates the image of a delicate creature who is grown in the rich soils of society and who, if uprooted from this societal soil, would wither and perish. Lily, as any living organism, is not simply a static figure in her environment. Instead, she is a true naturalistic character, responsive and subject to the conditions of her surroundings. For example, when Lily and Selden meet at Bellomont, "Lily's beauty expanded like a flower in sunlight" (108) and, "her face turned toward him with the soft motion of a flower" (109). Thus, although it can be argued that Lily is not a naturalistic character because of Wharton's emphasis on